Palm Bay to issue expedited RFA for Evans Center; Little Growers signals interest in community food and resilience programming

City Council voted Oct. 9 to direct staff to issue an expedited request‑for‑applications (RFA) for the Evans Center property, clearing the way for community organizations to submit proposals under an accelerated timeline.

Little Growers — a local group that told council it won a $656,000 National Fish and Wildlife Foundation grant and has an agreement with the Indian River Lagoon National Estuary Program for an aquaculture project — asked for the opportunity to apply for use of the building. Little Growers said its plan includes an aquaculture system to grow food for the community and a climate‑resilience center to provide cooling and resources during storms, workforce development tied to Florida Institute of Technology certification, and an element of habitat restoration that would channel some of its production into Indian River Lagoon projects.

City Manager Morton presented two options: an expedited RFA designed to be more attractive to local applicants and quicker to implement, and a longer, more comprehensive process that would rework the entire request. Council members voted in favor of the expedited option by unanimous voice vote. Deputy Mayor Jaffe made the motion and Councilman Johnson seconded.

Council directed staff to proceed under the expedited process and return with application materials and a schedule for selection and lease negotiation. Little Growers said it looks forward to submitting a proposal and working with Florida Tech and other partners to develop community programming tied to aquaculture, food security and storm‑response capacity.

The decision was procedural: council approved the expedited procurement path and will consider proposals and any final lease or agreement in later public meetings.